Forgotten Pasts
by XEmoMidnaX
Summary: Whenever their skin touched, they witnessed strange phenomena their amnesia barred them from understanding. Something had happened to them in the twelfth cycle. Something that had changed their lives forever. Kuja x Terra.


**A/N I haven't written one of these for a while. This is my first based on the Dissidia series. Though this is Terra and Kuja based, I haven't played Final Fantasy VI and Terra's personality is based off Dissidia mainly. This is Kuja/Terra and doe contain spoilers for Dissidia/Dissidia 012. **

Forgotten Pasts

_So far, the Thirteenth Cycle has been long and arduous. My powers are getting evermore harder to control and even with Kefka's little hints and continuous taunting, the Twelfth Cycle still remains very much a mystery to me. Cloud told me to keep this journal so that, on the conditions that a) I actually survived to go into the Fourteenth Cycle if there was one and b) I lost my memories, I would be able to recap what had happened previously. It's odd, not knowing your own past. Like you got drunk the night before and you forget every little embarrassing thing you've done. Oh, and I don't actually know that for sure, but I've heard from some comrades and in books that you often forget when you're drunk. _

_I'm going off the point here. Today is the twenty fifth of August, and so far all that has really happened of interest is that Cecil got chased by a Chocobo. I shouldn't laugh at this kind of thing, but it was quite funny._

"Hey Terra!" someone called, making the girl's hand jerk and draw a line of black ink on the page of her leather bound journal. She looked up so her hair caught itself on some of the loose bark from the tree she sat under. A bright, cheery face with bulbous green eyes, framed by slicked back golden hair that rested against the front of a red helmet with a brilliant, onion-like plume, was looking down at her.

"Onion Knight!" Terra gasped, still a little shocked by his sudden appearance snapping her out of her trance.

"The one and only," he beamed, "say, what're you writing? Lurve letters," he smirked cheekily. Terra couldn't help but smile. Her little companion always found a way to cheer anyone up. His only competition was Bartz, cool-headed Bartz who would crack jokes when faced by some of the most powerful and evil mages that walked the surface of any planet.

"No, I'm keeping a journal… So that if I lose my memories again, I can read it and remember."

"Hey, that's a pretty good idea. Did you think of that?"

Terra shook her head, "Cloud suggested it."

Onion Knight nodded to show he understood, "okay. Oh, and… About earlier… You might want to record that."

"I'd rather not dwell on it…" Terra hung her head.

"Heh, was Judge Moaning really that depressing?" Onion Knight smiled, though he could tell by the aura Terra gave off that he'd dug up something she wanted to stay buried.

"It has nothing to do with Gabranth. His voice is actually quite charming - it took away the blow of his words," Terra explained.

"Heh. Was it Kefka?"

"No Onion Knight… I think Zidane is calling you," she lied. Onion Knight looked back then nodded and ran off.

"So naive…" she mumbled. Onion Knight was her friend, but she felt it compulsory to get rid of him. Her mind swarmed with bad memories of a darker time that had happened that morning. She couldn't muster the courage to write down the feelings she'd had at the Edge of Madness, but couldn't stop the whole ordeal from replaying in her mind.

* * *

><p><em>Terra was unsure on how she'd got lost, but it was apparently so. All she could see for miles were fiery chasms and immense swords like the one in Dream's End. There was a large, raised pedestal in the distance, which was the only one in sight, so must have had some significance. Worried, Terra began to edge towards it, her whole body quaking with fear. She didn't know why she was so scared, for there wasn't any sign of a manikin or a big monster that would run up and eat her with its tremendous jaws. Her imagination was very vivid with her memory loss. She could only conjure up childish apparitions in her mind. <em>

_Terra reminded herself not to wear high heels when she climbed stairs again, for the only way to the top of this pedestal was a steep staircase that was an ordeal to climb with her boots. She was so fearful that she'd forgotten she could fly- something she never did before even when facing Kefka. Maybe it was the concept of being alone that set her heart beat up a notch. Alone with her powers she couldn't control and her amnesia that barred her from finding a way to control them._

_A lone figure stood atop the pedestal, facing a throne adorned with large, ornamental skulls. The figure was clad in silver armoury wielding twin swords, with a helmet covering his face. When the figure spoke- his accent alluring and his tone cold- he spoke of the cycle of battle. _

"_You seem so sad…" Terra murmured. The knight stayed silent._

"_Come. Follow the path you must. Don't hold back," he stated, "I will lead you out of hell… And onto the never peaceful battle field."_

_Terra found herself wading through manikins, picking each off the carcass of the battle field one by one. It was the other enemies that she found more tedious- more so for their words than the abilities they possessed. _

_The Demon Knight Garland was first- towering over her with his massive sword he could crush her beneath and his voice that pierced the soul with hatred. Garland was slow, however, and no match for Terra's magic that sought him out and took him down. Judge Gabranth, the depressing figure, just watched her and silently judged her performance._

'A lesson?' _Terra thought, _'is that all this is?'

_In the majestic bowels of Castle Pandemonium she fought Emperor Mateus. Though young and rather good looking with his unblemished skin and messy hair, he was the worst of the lot. He fought ruthlessly, and seemed to enjoy taunting her with jokes she didn't understand. He was quick to dodge her attacks and ensnared her with his traps, much to her distaste. She would have been defeated if an Ex Core didn't appear next to her body, which had fallen limp and numb, clearly not wanting to go on. She felt her insides begin to glow with immense power as her body shifted into its purple form. Her bones groaned as they changed to suit her new form, and after unleashing her newfound power, the Emperor bit the dust, throwing curse words at her. Next up was the Cloud of Darkness, who from a long range didn't prove much of a challenge, but her tentacles proved to be a problem as they coiled around Terra's legs when the embodiment of light and darkness was on its last breaths. Terra sent a burst of fire at it, casting it away and finishing the fight. Golbez wasn't a difficult battle, probably because he felt his younger brother's friend didn't deserve to die. But still, to prove his might he fought with vigour and fell to what he called 'the better mage'. After Golbez was Exdeath, whose speed made him an easy target. The battle didn't last long before Terra cast him into the 'void' of loss. Her next foe was her rival, Kefka, who seemed delighted to see her just so he could hurt her. The spells weren't so painful as the words he issued them with. An Ex core appeared in one of the alcoves of the tower, which Kefka caught. He underwent transformation and became a monster. _

"_GO AWAY!" Terra shrieked as he advanced quickly, and cast a spell that knocked the harlequin off course for a second. From her attack and where the spell hit her nemesis, white dust- ex force- appeared. It was absorbed into the half-Esper, filling her up with immeasurable power. And so, she re-entered Trance and cast Flood, as Kefka used trine. The result of what could have been fatal for Terra was luckily cut off when a spray of water set the harlequin flying and deemed her victorious through a perfectly executed ex burst. Proceeding Kefka was Sephiroth, feared by Terra due to his unsettling aura. His blade was long and hard to see in the dim light, aside from a glimmer that was so thin that it caught Terra's legs and drew a sliver of blood without her seeing it. Sephiroth was slower than Terra, however, and her long range magic took him out. Terra's tights were ripped at the shins and her wounds sent a crusade of pain through her veins with every step. _

'There's only three left…'_ she told herself in her head, _'the sorceress, the Genome and Tidus' father… How can one hate his own father? Such madness I'll never understand…'

_Her next foe was Ultimecia, a woman who enjoyed toying with her prey and breaking the weak and vulnerable. Terra found herself running to get away from the projectiles the witch cast in her direction to avoid anymore scratches- not serious wounds but pretty annoying when they began to sting. Ultimecia possessed some of the most powerful black magic spells in history, yet they took a while to charge and in that time, Terra managed to wear her down and escape before the witch recuperated. It was hard not to fear Ultimecia as it was hard not to fear her upcoming foes. Jecht and Kuja both possessed immeasurable power and Terra was feeling weak._

'Can I do this?'

* * *

><p><em>Terra's journey had taken her through world upon world, through Manikins and Warriors of Chaos alike. The Edge of Madness was a desert of scorching rock, draining Terra of her energy. Every portal to another enemy was almost like a gift instead of a task, she was that desperate to get away from the hell she trekked through with Gabranth. Terra shook the crystal shards that the rain of glittering beauty the death of her last Manikin foe of the 'Capricious Reaper' variety had caused out of the tangled curls of her hair and waited for the portal to her next sparring partner to open up. Every Manikin defeated lead to the Warrior of Chaos it represented. The portals always lead to the battle arena they were most comfortable in, that was how it seemed to work. A black hole with the faint outline of Crystal World opened up and Terra stepped through, no longer in need of coaxing by Gabranth. The Crystal World was always a place that left Terra awestruck with its delicate beauty. Constructed of intricately decorated crystals with the embodiment of life itself overlooking the warriors that did battle there, it was hard not to feel somewhat amazed every time she graced its surface. Perched atop one of the towering amber crystals was her next foe, Zidane's older 'brother' Kuja. Terra gulped. She'd always been mesmerised by Kuja and his flawless beauty and grace – something one wouldn't associate with his darkened heart. The way he walked and talked and glided about the battle field ensnared the whole area and everyone in it as his own. Of all of Chaos' pawns, Kuja was the youngest, the smallest and the physically weakest and yet the Genome was by far the one that always sent shivers up Terra's spine. Kuja caught sight of Terra looking dumbfounded out of the corner of one of his eyes – eyes that could freeze an opponent without the need for a blizzard spell in his arsenal – and he smirked, sliding off his perch and gracefully floating down, the smirk plastered to his face.<em>

'Such a beautiful face…'

_Terra had to pinch herself to remove the obscene images from her head. She couldn't dream in the face of battle, to do so was no more than a suicide. _

"_What do we have here? A poor bird without feathers?" Kuja taunted, his voice captivating Terra like the lead role in a performance. He approached her soundlessly, a cool breeze passing through the remote surroundings ruffling his mane of silvery hair. _

"_I have n-no time for talking," Terra stuttered, summoning her blade. Kuja flashed a grin – a look that bore a resemblance to his younger brother in an almost chilling way. It was hard to believe that they were even related, with Zidane being a short, blonde, cheery Genome and Kuja being a graceful, silver haired man who trembled in anger at the thought of being one, even if he was not a soulless vessel like the other Genomes._

"_If a fight is what you want, my dear, a fight is what I shall deliver to you," he raised a hand and summoned his holy orbs that circled around him, before charging at Terra through the air. The tips of his dainty fingers brushed against her hand as he whooshed past and a strange giddiness came over the half-Esper girl. She could hear strange voices in her head – strange but familiar. They were not commands like she'd had before so much as words of comfort so it seemed from their content. Terra clasped her hands to her head as the voices got louder. She managed to distinguish that there was only one voice, the calm but snide voice of a man. They became so loud that she could see Kuja's lips moving but could hear no words escaping them. He had a confused look on his face and began to walk towards her again._

"_GO AWAY!" Terra screamed at him. The horrible voice had begun when he'd touched her. Terra felt faint suddenly as the voice began to overwhelm her, and fell to the opaque, crystalline floor before she blacked out. The next thing she saw was her room in the little house the Warriors of Cosmos owned, with her comrades gathered around her and Cloud's arms supporting her from underneath. She hadn't managed to defeat all of the Warriors of Chaos, dubbing her weak in her own eyes. _

"_Don't worry Terra. Even I can't defeat Kuja with ease," Zidane reassured, holding out a hand. Terra brushed him away._

"_Please. I don't want to dwell on it anymore."_

* * *

><p>At the other side of the small island that Cornelia resided on, in the historic bowels of the Chaos Shrine, a small figure sat hunched in the corner with his head down so his mane of silvery hair covered his face. Kuja frowned and rubbed his forehead, pressing in deep with his slender fingers. Ever since he'd fought that Terra girl, he'd accumulated a headache and as the day bore on it got worse and worse. He didn't want to have to put up with the din of the other Warriors of Chaos – every sound was a stab to the brain – so had shut himself in one of the treasure rooms to insulate himself from the noise.<p>

"That snivelling Esper girl must've given me something…" he growled to himself. He immediately scolded himself, "no. She isn't a 'snivelling Esper girl', that's for sure. She has something different about her. Oh listen to me, talking to myself… I must be going mad. That's what working with these animals has done to me…" Kuja shook his head and slumped down further, so his lower back touched the cool, slate slabs that made up the floor. He closed his eyes and images of Terra falling unconscious before him flashed before him like a silent film. Kuja's icy eyes snapped open again and he groaned.

'_Great. Just great. I can't stand this infernal headache but when I try to sleep I see HER. Why can't I stop thinking about her?' _

Kuja rolled over onto his side and gazed at the door, looking at the intricate design that snaked all over the wood rotted oak in golden serpents. Something about Terra felt unsettlingly familiar to him. He could still fee the tingles in the tips of his fingers that he'd accumulated when he touched the bare skin of Terra's fingers. Kuja's amnesia was probably the worst thing to happen to him in this infernal war, and he detested not knowing. Somebody – Kefka probably – had mentioned Terra serving Chaos in the previous cycle. Had they talked often? Was she an ally of Kuja's as Kefka, the Cloud and Exdeath were in the current cycle?

"Probably not…" he told himself aloud, "she seemed rather skittish. She is certainly not one I would work with. The harlequin is annoying, the monster is just plain odd and Exdeath possesses fewer brains than that pointless friend of Zidane's, but they would never run from battle,"

Kuja laughed to himself, "the harmless little bird probably just fainted because of the astounding being before her. She couldn't handle me. That must be it."

"Talking to yourself Kujie-Coo?" someone – clearly none other than Kefka – asked from outside the door with a giddy tone to his voice. Kuja ignored him. Kefka, being as childishly impatient as he was, burst into the treasure room and sat himself next to the Genome.

"When I said 'don't talk to me because if you do I'll murder you' earlier, do you really think it no longer applies?" Kuja inquired, trying to keep a straight face.

"It's funny because you don't know why what happened did happen."

"That wasn't my question Kefka you thick skulled freak!" Kuja reminded himself not to yell when his head suddenly felt enflamed, "and I suppose you do know now."

"In fact, my little buddy, I do. But I can't tell ya. It'll ruin the whole thing."

"What 'thing'?"

"I've said too much," Kefka giggled.

"One word is too much for you."

"Don't get your thong into a twist now."

"It's not a thong you little pile of… You know what? I don't care. I have a god-awful headache and you're not gonna make it better, but I doubt it can get any worse… I'm just going to stop listening."

"Are you finally starting to love my company Kujie?" Kefka put a mocking arm around Kuja's shoulders. Kuja bit his hand and shoved the harlequin off him. Kefka tutted, "resorting to violence? Oh Kuja, I expected better of you."

"You did now? I think, to be frank, you don't know me," Kuja rose to his feet, using Kefka's head to push himself up and made for the door, "when I get mad, I get scary."

* * *

><p>The fast approaching night was calm and serene, something Kuja seldom saw. A man of luxury, he was delighted to finally be able to take a walk in peace without the other Warriors of Chaos chatting about things he neither knew of nor cared about. A gentle breeze caused the trees to rustle in the nearby forest and even the pungent fog that hung over the mountains, home to a labyrinth of decaying caves, seemed less intimidating. The fresh air seemed to be doing wonders for Kuja's headache, which soon died down to a gentle pounding like a soft heartbeat as he entered the forest that stretched a good mile over the surface. He did not know where he was headed; only that it was away from the zoo of the Chaos shrine and the beasts that dwelled within. Despite the peace Kuja felt as he traversed through the trees, the wildlife seemed to find his presence demeaning and hid whenever his graceful figure appeared. Though small to his comrades, his might made him stand tall over the other inhabitants of the island. As the forest thinned and stopped, the castle came into view and the rustling of the trees became the gushing of water in the ocean that spread out across the landscape where the land stopped. He made his way over to a thin stretch of beach that met with the Cornelia dock about a ten minute walk from the town itself. He tested the sand with his fingers before deciding it was dry enough to sit on. He seldom saw beaches where he came from, at least to the best of his slightly poor recollection. Besides the obvious Warriors of Cosmos and Chaos, his amnesia was the worst thing about this war. Kuja shook his head clear of any anger he had building up and watched as the sun slowly fell beyond the horizon, casting an orange glow over the sea.<p>

"I don't deserve this," he smiled to himself, "but I always get what I want. Even nature respects that. I just wish my own brain would co-operate…" he scooped up sand in his palm and let it slide through his fingers. He hastily removed his glove as some squeezed into the crack between his hand and the fabric and shook it in the air.

He stopped dead when he thought he heard something. Footsteps, rustling the grass behind him. He turned his head to see a figure approaching. It was not a Warrior of Chaos – the only one small enough to fit this figure had the distinct quality of tentacles coming out of her back – so he relaxed his tense muscles a bit and turned to face the ocean again.

"A Warrior of Cosmos, I presume?" he inquired with a laugh to his voice. The figure did not reply, only whimper.

"No? Well regardless, you can go now and be spared or face the consequences of disturbing me."

"No, I… Please don't hurt me again…" the person squeaked, flinching. He recognised the voice, the voice of a young woman, drowned in fear. He sighed and rose to his feet.

"Terra Branford again? Honestly, are you stalking me?"

"N-no I… This is just a c-coincidence, I don't mean anything and…. Aaah, please, just let me go, I promise I… I mean n-no harm to you Mister Kuja…"

He smiled to himself and pulled his glove back on, walking over to her but being sure not to touch her to avoid a repeat of earlier that day. He could see the fear in her eyes, genuine, not an act to trick him into sympathising. He could have just killed her there on the spot, but the serenity had put him in a good mood, so he held back.

"What brings you here, pretty one?"

"Save your flattery," she growled in an attempt at an intimidating voice.

"I ask again," Kuja stated in a serious tone, "why are you here?"

"I-I always come here, you see, it's like my spot… Where I can reflect and think… And try to figure out my past…"

"You suffer from amnesia too?" Kuja kicked himself inside for asking that – of course she did. Most people, if not all, in this war did.

"Well I… Don't we all?" she still refused to straighten out, hunched up before him.

"Forget I asked that. Well, if this is your spot, would you mind sharing?"

"Y-you're gonna kill me if I say no aren't you?" she squeaked.

"No, but regardless of your answer I'm staying. We all need time to reflect and think, and to think you need to be able to hear it, which is damn near impossible with the other scum I am forced to live with."

"You shouldn't speak about your friends like that, you know?"

"Friends? Hah! I have no friends," he spat, sitting back in the sand. Cautiously, Terra approached the beach and went up to the ebbing tide where the pebbles were. Ignoring Kuja, she selected one and skipped it several times across the ocean with an emotionless expression on her face. She repeated this process with Kuja silently watching about four times before he piped up again.

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?" she mumbled.

"Skip rocks. I've never been able to figure it out."

"Oh, well… You just… Uhh…"

"Why don't you show me?" he half demanded, walking over to her and standing by her side, "go on."

"Aah… Well…" she selected a flat rock, black with a swirl of white and held it like a Frisbee, "you hold it like this, and it's got to be flat like this one, see? And then you just flick your wrist like this," she flicked the rock out of her fingers and it bounced across the water four times. Kuja nodded and attempted it himself. It merely dropped into the water. Terra stepped back slightly, fearing he'd hurt her, but he just laughed.

"Aahaha… I really need more practise don't I?" he smiled at her.

"Uuh, you're not flicking right. Here, let me just…" she handed him another rock and, without thinking twice, took his hand within her. The both of them gasped as something flashed before their eyes. It was quick, but was almost certainly them, stood at the beach looking over the ocean with their hands entwined. Terra appeared to be dressed differently to how she was at that moment, which struck them both as odd. Terra, to her knowledge, only wore one outfit. She took her hand away quickly and looked at Kuja who had a puzzled expression on his face.

"D-did you see it too?" Terra squeaked. Kuja nodded.

"Yes, but it's utter blasphemy. Surely… It must be the sea air, playing tricks on our minds."

"Does it do that then?" she looked to her feet. Kuja laughed.

"No, of course not… I have to go…" feeling uneasy about what he just saw, Kuja took off back to the shrine. Night had fallen, and only Golbez was awake, reading by dim candle light. Without a word, Kuja flung off his clothes so they hit the walls in random places – he didn't care where – and quickly scrambled into bed before the warlock could question his hurry, though of course with Golbez being the man he was, that wasn't necessary.

* * *

><p>"Cloud?" Terra whispered, peering into the kitchen where Cloud sat at the old, wooden table finally giving his old blade a clean. The young man looked up, his mako eyes glowing in the darkness.<p>

"Yes Terra?" he pulled out a chair for her to sit on, which she took quickly.

"What do you know about the twelfth cycle?" she asked quietly.

"Oh Terra… Look, I already told you everything I know about you in that cycle."

"No, not about me… About Kuja."

"Which one is Kuja?" he lounged back in his chair and looked at the ceiling. He clearly thought Terra was just wasting her time.

'_The beautiful one,' _she thought. What was she thinking?

"Zidane's brother. The one with the feather in his hair."

"Oh, him… I… I don't know… I think we talked once but it's hazy… I don't even know why…" he furrowed his brow like he was thinking hard, "why don't you ask Shantotto or Zidane or someone?"

"Would they know? Maybe Zidane will but…"

"But what?"

"He might lie, just to get me to go out with him. You know how he is, and I can't understand Shantotto. She talks in riddles and rhyme," Terra hung her head.

"Well, you ought to try Zidane. If anyone, he'll be the one to know."

"Yes… I should…" she rose to her feet and went in search of the Genome, who was sat on his bed sharpening his dagger which he seldom used. He looked up to Terra and a cheeky grin spread across his face.

"Hey Terra. How may I help a lovely lady like yourself tonight?"

"Oh Zidane, shush will you? I just need to know something…" she leant on his bed post and looked around, "about your brother."

"I think it's a thong, but I'm really not sure," he sighed. Terra giggled.

"No, silly, not about that. About what he was like in the twelfth cycle. Do you remember anything about him?"

The light left Zidane's eyes and he looked to the floor.

"Yeah, I do… He's changed since then. I really don't get him, you know? He betrayed Chaos, and then betrayed me. Now he's out to kill me and I don't know why."

"He… Betrayed Chaos?" Terra leant in further, clinging on Zidane's words, as if, should she let go, she'd lose her life.

"Yeah, I think he was a double agent type person… But there was something more and I knew Kefka knew of that something… Something powerful, something he was fighting for besides himself. You know, he never mentioned it… Anyway, why do you want to know about him? He's bad news now, he's different."

"I… I just find it weird. Today, we met twice and I heard voices and saw something… They might be memories of a previous cycle."

"What did you see?" he inquired, offering her a hand as she was looking slightly shaken.

"I saw us… Me and your brother, together on a beach… He was holding my hand… And the voice… I think it was his…" her voice trailed off, "he was a double agent… Did he spend a lot of time with us?"

Zidane stayed quiet.

"Zidane?"

"No. He didn't. You… And Cloud and Tidus were on their side… We just haven't told you yet…"

"We… No…" she hung her head, "so those were memories, triggered by the contact with his skin… That then means that Kuja and I were… No…"

"Heh, to be honest I doubt that Terra. I really can't actually see anyone in their right mind possibly going out with Kuja," Zidane chuckled, trying to cheer her up. Terra didn't seem phased.

"He is beautiful…" she whispered to herself, "too beautiful…"  
>"Eh?"<p>

"I have to go…" Terra swept from the room silently. A couple of the Warriors asked her what was wrong, but their voices sounded all the same and their faces were blank. She couldn't function properly at the thought of the past she may have uncovered. She didn't understand any of it. Why would she have fallen for Kuja? She didn't even truly understand love, let alone have thought she could succumb to it, and she was sure one of the reasons Zidane had mentioned that he was superior to Kuja was the fact that Kuja lacked ability to feel complex emotions properly. It seemed physically impossible that two people such as them could have fallen in love, if everything she assumed was correct. Zidane had mentioned Kefka knowing something about a certain thing Kuja was fighting for in the previous cycle besides himself. Was it her? Terra decided the best thing to do would be to record it in her book. Writing things down could often bring a clear image to the mind. She found her journal and a Chocobo feather pen, and quickly scribbled down.

'_I think I may have been in love with Kuja. _

_I think I may have fallen for him again…'_

Terra thought long and hard over the last sentence she wrote. She didn't know – or at least remember – what love felt like, and yet the tingling sensation every time she looked at him, his voice a calming lullaby that soothed her pointed to unknown feelings for him deep down. The way the wind ruffled his untamed hair, the glisten in his wintry eyes, his grace and astounding beauty, all things she suddenly felt she couldn't live without. If these signs pointed to love then, once more, Kuja had won over her heart. This time though, he wasn't her friend, he was her enemy and a ruthless fiend. His mind was twisted by something, something dark that wasn't his own bloodlust or thirst for destruction and power, but something else. It had to be, for he had been purer once. He hadn't been lying all that time, to her and to his brother, like he had done to the Warriors of Chaos, had he?

"I must know," she told herself, before obliging to the shrill voice of Shantotto imploring that she go to bed. _'Sleep,'_ she thought, _'will do me good. It'll give me time to think…'_

* * *

><p>The familiar waking call of one Sir Jecht brought Kuja from his restless slumber. All night Terra had been in his dreams, much to his distaste. He assumed by the dark circles under his eyes and the drowsy feeling in his bones that he'd had about an hour sleep. The Warriors of Chaos didn't believe in lie-ins and he wasn't very good at pretending to be sick, so his lack of sleep would have to be lived with until he got a moment alone to take a nap.<p>

"Figured out what the 'thing' is yet?" Kefka asked him, seizing him by the shoulders.

"Hmm?" it took Kuja a while to process what was going on, "what 'thing'?"

"You know, the thing that happened with Terra that I know about."

"That happened again, you know, and I'm still none the wiser so you can stop bothering me about it because to be honest my harlequin friend, I really don't care."

"Aaaw, why do you never like to play Kujie coo?" he pouted playfully.

"Look Kefka," he hissed through gritted teeth, "I'm really not in the mood. I'm tired and I'm confused so _please _leave. Me. Alone."

"Aaahaha. Kuja's confused is he? I confused the greatest mage there is, so he calls himself."

"I'm better than the likes of you!" Kuja scowled at the man, giving him a death glare that never seemed to work on Kefka.

"When you look at me like that, you look so scary. NOT!" he burst into his trademark, maniacal laughter. Kuja walked away, deciding to ignore the harlequin and reflect on the past day's occurrences.

"You know, the problem with you, Kujie coo, is that you're just waaaay too self-centred and think you're so smart. That's why you never ask for help. All the people here are the same – they just think they're better than everyone else, when in reality they're just weaklings that hide behind their minions."

"I'm not weak," Kuja scoffed. Kefka sighed and pushed him over.

"Aren't tails supposed to keep you balanced?" he taunted. Kuja rolled his eyes and picked himself up.

"I don't have a tail," he stated blankly. He hated that tail with a passion and Kefka's knowledge of that brought about many painful references to it. Not only Kefka, but everyone taunted him for it, though Kuja couldn't find anything he could possibly nitpick about them. Garland's size, the Cloud's serpentine tentacles, Ultimecia's ludicrous hair – they all fit in with the being they were. They were monsters and he was not. That was how Kuja saw it. He began to go off into a trance, lost in his thoughts until Kefka snapped him back to reality with a deft blow to the stomach.

"You crumple like a piece of paper."

"I'm not crumpling," he tried to maintain an upright position. Kefka was just trying to get him to snap and the man refused to fall for it. The harlequin laughed and ruffled his already messy hair until it resembled that of a Chocobo nest. He squirmed away and made for the iron wrought window, pushing it open gently with his finger tips.

"Shut that. It's not like we've got any forms of heating in here you thick skulled ape."

"Live with it," Kuja snarled, slowly climbing out of the window, "I'm going out. I need some alone time," his silver head vanished beyond the windowsill and he walked off. The fields were sun kissed in the morning light and the waters that flowed through the streams glistened in the gentle rays. Despite having not eaten since the previous morning, he'd even skip breakfast to avoid Kefka. As his feet carried him towards the small clearing in the forest where he sometimes went to read, his mind wandered. Images of a curly haired girl with the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen filled his head. Her eyes, they were jewels. In a distant, dreamy voice she called out his name and giggled softly. Everything about her glowed in the sunlight, white in his make-believe world. Then there was a violent shaking and the make-believe stopped.

"Kuja?" the soft voice – Terra's voice – rang on. Kuja's eyes fluttered open and he looked about. A tree bore grizzled bark marks into his bare back and grass tickled his thighs. Crouched over him was Terra, her dainty hand on his arm and relief plastered on her face. Kuja shook his head clean of any fallen leaves and sat up slightly.

"What are you doing, waking me like that?" he mumbled.

"I'm just checking to make sure a monster didn't get you or something…" she whispered quietly, looking away. Kuja laughed.

"Monster? Get me? That's funny you know."

She whimpered and backed away. Kuja laughed again, "I'm not going to hurt you dear. In fact, I'm not going to touch you in fear of that thing happening again."

"Aah…" she mumbled, "that… I've been… Asking around on that."

"You told? I don't want your friends thinking I'm weak!"

"You're not weak," she reassured, "you're stronger than me, at least. I'm the weakest thing you'll ever come across, I can assure you that."

"A weak person couldn't overcome every Warrior of Chaos, like you did yesterday. Well, all but two. You could have defeated that meat head Jecht if you had reached him though. I'm just too good," he joked. Terra broke a weak smile.

"Yes… Zidane did say you were a difficult foe."

"Difficult? I'm an impossible foe my sweet. No-one will defeat me."

"People have before… Or you would remember the twelfth cycle. Once defeated, we lose our memories. And winning will regain memories. That's why Zidane and everyone knows about who they are and where they come from."

"I… I think Kefka might have… Toyed with me…" he sighed, "at least I can see him doing that. That man is absurdly annoying." Terra nodded in agreement.

"Yes but… He's nothing compared to you," she smiled at him.

"Ooh. Thanks for the flattery," he flashed a grin at her, "I'm assuming your innocence means you're not being sarcastic."

Terra uttered at small laugh and loosened her tense position. He was acting in such a way that made her feel calm around him. She forgot he was the enemy and a ruthless killer, a possible suspect for her own defeat in the previous cycles as were everyone else. She was captivated by his icy eyes that melted into calm oceans as they bore into her, making her feel as if she were a cloud with no gravity tying her down.

"He knows. So do I," she stated plainly. Kuja raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"The Twelfth cycle. Something happened between us. Kefka knows, and so do I. At least, I think that's what it is."

"You're making very little sense."

She stayed quiet and nodded, "I know…" she mumbled with minimal strength to her voice, "but does it matter about the past? It's the now that matters, Kuja, and now I at least know for sure."

Kuja rose to his feet and shook his head, "I really don't understand any of this T-" he was cut off when Terra flung her arms around his neck and held tight in an embrace that felt like it would never end.

"I've untangled it… The small fragment of the last cycle that has been bothering us. The both of us. Those things we saw, the things we heard. Memories, not hallucinations."

"A plot… I was trying to hurt you," he affirmed almost factually.

"We were on the same side. Why, I don't know yet, but the fact that we were is a certainty," she rested her chin on his chest, "I was sided with Chaos, and we obviously grew close. They frighten me, uncontrollable emotions… I'm scared they'll make me hurt people. I hurt my best friend once."

"Kefka's doing, not yours. He told us – well bragged – about how he forced you to attack the obnoxious child."

Terra detested it when anyone said anything against the Onion Knight, however Kuja was an exception. She cherished him too dearly to possibly erupt at him now she'd unearthed all those feelings for him. She loved him. Did he love her?

"You're beautiful," she whispered, "too beautiful. It's unnatural, inhuman. Like me."

A wave of emotion rushed over Kuja, a tide enveloping him in the gushes of feelings. Feelings he'd never felt before; feelings that made his heart flutter and his head feel empty. The comforting feeling of Terra clinging onto him, her breath tickling his pounding chest and her eyes mesmerising him. He recognised the feeling of attraction, for most every woman he saw had some depth of beauty which Kuja had an eye for. They didn't matter anymore. They were ugly. Terra was beautiful.

Had he fallen for this woman? It was clear that she'd fallen for him. What was it? His looks? Personality? The fact that they may have had a relationship before?

Kuja chuckled to himself and put his arms in their rightful place, the only place they belonged. Around her. Terra cracked a small grin and buried her head into his neck.

"I don't know what love is Kuja… But I've fallen into it. With you."

"I don't know what love is either… Yet if it means being with you, I'll take that chance."

* * *

><p>Before, it had been uncomfortable to touch, but as they stood in the clearing with the leaves a flutter in the calming breeze, they came to realise that discomfort had gone. The plagues that ravaged their minds had passed and left the two in peace to enjoy the sublime moment with one another, their newfound lovers. Or perhaps, even reunited lovers. Kuja took Terra's face gently in his hands, the silk of her skin so delicate, so smooth to the touch. Hesitantly, the two were entwined through a kiss, one so perfect that they wished it would last for the rest of their lives. They were engulfed in a feeling of unity, chains bringing them together and shielding them from anything penetrating their tiny piece of endless forever. Fire melted them into one being that could never be separated no matter what was hurled at them, their bond growing stronger by the minute. After eons passed, they separated from that (to the best of their recollection) first kiss and gazed into each other's eyes, mystic pools that swum with the future and were empty of the past. Reflected back at them from those beautiful mirrors were themselves – a sign that they would forever be together for there was a part of the other within. Both of them smiled at one another and kept their loving embrace strong as the peaceful silence ebbed on. Terra broke that silence when she whispered into Kuja's ear those three words that sealed their fate as one.<p>

"I love you."

Kuja, for once in his life, felt accepted by someone. Someone he wanted to accept him for the remainder of his time. He planted another kiss on Terra's forehead and entangled a finger in her luscious curls.

"Hey Terra…" he murmured, a cheeky grin spreading across his face. Terra looked up to him.

"Yes, Kuja?" his name was her favourite word, it rolled off the tongue as smooth as honey.

"You think, maybe, you can teach me how to… Skip rocks some time?"

Terra laughed a genuine laugh that lacked her common fear.

"You need only ask, and I'll do it," she smiled, "but for you, I'll do it out of my own whim. It's the least I can do… After all… I love you and you've already given me all I can ask for. You love me back."


End file.
